Category Archives: Exert Your Influence

Influence is an important piece of the puzzle leading to organizational success. When you wield influence, you can transform an organization through the efforts of others. You are no longer alone in seeking your goals. Instead, your work is multiplied exponentially with the help of the employees you influence. However, influencing others is not always an easy task.

The role of empowerment.

In my post “which I wrote for Aspire Collaborative Services, I discuss how you can capitalize on the skills of the people around you by empowering them. Only when your team is empowered can you realize its true potential. It is through the empowerment of your employees that you inspire others to succeed. Your confidence in your employees’ abilities gives them greater faith in themselves. It also establishes a desire in them to perform well. No one wants to let down someone who has entrusted them with an important responsibility.

Three … Continue reading 3 Ways to Influence Your Employees through Empowerment →

Client Brianna asks:

People often talk about the importance of influencing internal and external stakeholders. What makes a successful influencer, in your eyes?

Coach Joel answers:

Successful influencers do these five things better than anyone else. These five strategies foster strong relationships that make others see those influencers as people they can rely on. If you succeed in putting these five things into practice in your daily work, you’re just about guaranteed to build influence in your workplace.

Build strong partnerships.

A strong influencer is able to create partnerships across all business units, thereby developing a wider base of support and cooperation. When you develop these strong relationships, you’ll help the whole organization to function more effectively—and you’ll be seen as someone who guides others in developing relationships that benefit the whole group. Leverage allies.

Your allies will help support your ideas and accomplish the tasks that have … Continue reading The 5 Smartest Strategies to Build Influence in the Workplace →

What is one of the most important qualities of leadership? Most people agree that some key leadership qualities include being a team player, claiming responsibility for your actions and making critical decisions. However, there is one major quality that you need no matter where you stand in your organization—a quality that is NOT reserved for CEOs, managers, and others with a title. That quality is INFLUENCE.

If you’re trying to find your way up the corporate ladder but can’t get above a few rungs, influence is the quality you’re most likely missing.

Influence what you need to build connections with people from different levels in your organization, including the following groups:

Coworkers.

Gain influence with colleagues across your organization, not only in your own department but across functions. This will give you more support and resources for your projects and ideas.

Upper … Continue reading The One Quality You Must Master to Reach the Top of the Ladder →

Client Lorenzo asks:

I’ve worked hard to improve my perception and increase my visibility in my company, and I feel I’ve succeeded. How can I leverage my visibility to become more of a key player in my organization?

Coach Joel answers:

Lorenzo, congrats on strengthening others’ perception of you and achieving greater visibility. Those are important steps toward becoming a key player in your company. To really have an impact on things like its vision and direction, you now need to increase your influence. Having influence over others will allow you to truly have an impact on your organization—in fact, it’s one of the top qualities of a leader. Here are three strategies that will help you increase your influence at work.

Get things done.

Let people know they can count on you to accomplish even the toughest assignments. You’ve undoubtedly worked to brand yourself in this way … Continue reading Three Immediate Strategies to Increase Your Influence at Work →

Maura wants to expand her influence in her company, but she’s realizing some major barriers have existed there for years. “Maybe I should just find a new job in a company with a different culture,” she said to a trusted colleague over coffee. “I think you should stick it out,” said her colleague. “In any organization, you’re going to run into challenges to expanding your leadership influence. Effective leaders strive to pinpoint and overcome these challenges, her colleague added. Sometimes they eliminate an issue; other times, they learn to work with it. Here are four roadblocks to overcome for effective leadership influence.

The company needs a shared vision.

The vision is where it all begins. If all employees in your organization don’t share a strong vision, they’re not really clear on what they’re working toward together. That affects their clarity on roles and their individual and department goals … Continue reading Four Roadblocks to Overcome for Effective Leadership Influence →

5_Traits_All_Influential_Leaders_Possess

Influential leaders know how to increase their visibility, effectiveness and reach. They make sure the workplace is a more efficient and profitable enterprise. They set higher standards to serve their customers and clients. And, in doing so, they create positive opportunities not just for themselves, but for their colleagues at all levels, as well.

The key to expanding influence is to become a leader who inspires people to follow. How to you do that?

3 Surprising Ways to Influence Your Employees

Want to be a better boss, a respected leader, and an admired mentor to the people under you? Once you’ve climbed the ladder to get to the top you understand that being a leader comes with responsibility. Empowering the people under you with the same responsibility can help you capitalize on your employees’ skills and bring out your team’s true potential.

Mentor and teacher, Booker T. Washington, says it best in his autobiography as he stresses the importance of empowering individuals: “Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him and to let him know that you trust him… Every individual responds to confidence.”

How can you influence downward to your employees, staff and the people you supervise?

5 Ways to be a more influential church leader

The economically and spiritually troubling times our society faces today have resulted in significant challenges for many congregations. It is through these difficult times that church leadership is critical. It’s easy to lead your congregation when things are going well and people are generally happy; however, when your followers are plagued with social and professional strife, this is when church leaders really need to shine. Here are five tips for managing and improving your reputation as a leader so you can develop your influence within the church and lead your congregation into the next era of prosperity.